Modern showers and bathtubs are typically constructed of strong, light weight materials, such as fiber reinforced resins among others, that may require support to hold water and people using them. Given the weight of water showers and bathtubs, in particular, have to support, the weight of shower and bath users, and government requirements, structural support for showers and bathtubs is becoming more and more important.
In the past, bathtubs and shower bases were made of metal like stainless steel or cast iron over which enamel was secured. The strength of the materials generally gave the tubs and showers the necessary support and additional support was not required.
Some prior art applications attach a backer board to the bottom of the tub and placed a rabbeted board into a slot in the backer board to provide support for the tub. These boards, however, were prone to breakage. Another mechanism has a metallic cradle in which the tub sat. However, such cradle is heavy, costly and difficult to form.